Charlie Chaplin's 1st Film Released Feb. 02 1914

Making a Living is the first film appearance of Charlie Chaplin, which premiered on February 2, 1914. Chaplin plays a lady-charming swindler, Edgar English, who runs afoul of the Keystone Kops. Chaplin's famed screen persona of "the Little Tramp" did not appear until the film Kid Auto Races at Venice.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0004288/

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This movie is part of the collection: Silent Films

Audio/Visual: sound, B/W
Keywords: Charlie Chaplin; Silents

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Verbusen - - April 3, 2010
Subject: Hilarious
This is typical very funny Chaplin, I actually like the slime-ball character he plays, it's a refreshing change! Hope it gets restored as it's definitely worth it!

Reviewer: chaplinesque - - March 14, 2010
Subject: Seriously, people.
If you can't read, this was made in 1914. This is Chaplin's FIRST FILM APPEARANCE, not his first film. Hardly. "Making a Living" was written and directed by Henry Lehrman; Chaplin merely had a starring role. He just started working with Mack Sennett at the time and this film is his debut; in fact, the film was something of a flop and Sennett began having doubts about hiring Chaplin.

The Little Tramp would not be created until "Kid Auto Races at Venice," and Chaplin would not have creative authority over his own films until even later.

To compare this to "The Kid" or freaking "City Lights" is like comparing Hitchcock's "Vertigo" to some lame home movie on YouTube.

Reviewer: pickford82 - - October 17, 2009
Subject: I hate to give such a low rating...
...to our beloved Charlie's film, but I'm just being objective. This very short film, like many of his earliest works, is comedy at its most primitive. There's no dialog, no decent gags, only kicking, punching, falling, running. The comedy film was still to develop into something more substantial. But this one is at least a bit more tolerable than, say, "His favorite pasttime". What I like about it is Charlie's unusual look with a big moustache & a tophat. I hardly recognized him! I also like that while he & others run around, we can see places & people of 1910s. Yes, it was nearly 100 years ago. Even before the Roaring twenties. Women still wore long hair, long dresses. It's interesting from the historical point of view.

Reviewer: hoanglong1712 - - August 31, 2008
Subject: review
i do not think that his debut film as good as that.
however it cannot compare to the kid or city light

Reviewer: kr4ft - - July 22, 2008
Subject: chaplins first
portrays chaplin in his first (as far as we know" cinema role
starts with a gentlemen and chaplain who have a fancy for the same lass, and shows the comical physical manifestation of there shared desire to attain her affection

Reviewer: woofer3 - - March 5, 2008
Subject: perfect combination
Charlie Chaplin's comic genius performed to the wonderful music of Jelly Roll Morton's Red hot Peppers.

Reviewer: FLORY - - July 16, 2007
Subject: Charlie Chaplin's "Making A Living"
Charlie Chaplin's "Making A Living"